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Time To Talk
"Time To Talk" is a BOTGD 2 thread written on June 9, 2019. Summary Full Text Part 1 Grey Bergman: 'Grey and Brandt didn’t dare tell Sven, Dagny, and Kari where they were going. Only Ander, the council, and Ingrid knew where they were going, but both parents decided it would be best for Sven, Dagny, and Kari to not know that they were about to confront Rhenco. Early the next morning, Grey and Brandt mounted Shadow and took off for Mount Massive with a few men and their dragons. “So…how exactly do you want to go about this?” Brandt asked as Shadow flapped her wings taking them away from Haligan Island. “Like we said, we need to be ready for anything Rhenco might have up his sleeve,” Grey said keeping her eyes set on the sky in front of her. “Prepare for an army…or whatever he has. Overpower him, and get him to talk.” “Sounds like a plan to me,” Brandt replied smirking. '''Rhenco: '''Rhenco’s black, withered fingers rested on the table. His white teeth sticking out starkly against his nonexistent lips, his skin was cracked, exposing slivers of crimson blood. A splotch of red stained vomit sat between him and the other side of the table from where the pain and agony he had chosen to reside in had overcome his bowels. With a hallow, hissing, exhale he looked up at the sound of approaching forms. '''Grey Bergman: '''It took a few hours or so to get there, but the Chief, her second-in-command, and their men made it to Mount Massive on their respective dragons. However, upon reaching the barren wasteland, Shadow led the charge with Grey and Brandt toward where the hotel was, and once they flew toward the area, Grey and Brandt gasped at the sight before them. The hotel was nothing but burnt remains. It very eerily reminded Grey of how the island looked after Greg used his fire to kill the High Central army all those years ago. “Uhhh…did you tell Shadow to fire a plasma blast when I wasn’t listening?” Brandt asked his wife. “No,” Grey answered quickly. Even Shadow crooned as if insulted by Brandt’s question. “Chief, look, down below!” one of the Haligan warriors shouted. Grey and Brandt looked down below and saw a figure lying on the ground below. The Chief quickly grabbed her spy glass to get a better look. “There’s someone down there,” Grey stated. “Who?” Brandt asked. “Let’s get a closer look,” the Chief stated before directing Shadow to land. '''Rhenco: '''Rhenco’s finger squeaked as he dragged it across the table, leaving a small smear in it’s wake. He gave a ragged sigh, and then slowly shook his head. His one hand dropped under the edge of the table, and gripped his knife closely. He positioned the blade so that the point stuck against the artery of his inner leg. “Chief…Grey…” He sighed. '''Grey Bergman: '''Fury ignited inside of the Chief as Shadow landed directly in front of Rhenco allowing Grey and Brandt to dismount her. Grey walked up to Rhenco with a cold glare on her face and with her husband right behind her. Now that they had the information Sven had given them, maybe they could get some answers…and some justice. “You look terrible,” she said trying to hide the shock of Rhenco’s appearance and maintain her glare. Did Milae beat them to it without telling her and Brandt? Surely, he would’ve notified the Chief. It took one of the men to notice the knife in Rhenco’s hand. “Drop your weapon!” he shouted as he and his comrades drew their swords, ready to defend the Chief and her husband at any moment’s notice. '''Rhenco: '“This…” Rhenco growled as he kept the knife to his leg. “Is for me…not any of you…” Although they could still see the ghost of the Rhenco they had met, calm, and predatorial…it was over shadowed by a lot of authentic pain, frustration, and even fear. The whole table shook as Rhenco jerked and shivered invounetarily. “I’m assuming you came here because Milae didnt want to talk to me himself? That’s okay…you’ll do…” He gave a shuddering exhale. “I have a proposition…do you want to hear it?” 'Grey Bergman: '''Shadow growled behind Grey and Brandt as her eyes narrowed into slits. She was ready to pounce on Rhenco if Grey were to give the order. “Easy, girl, don’t rip him apart yet.” She turned back to Rhenco. “We don’t know where Milae is,” Grey answered quickly. Well, that proved that Milae was not the one to cause this damage, so who was it? “I gave him your message, and that was that. He didn’t say where he was going.” “As for your proposition,” Brandt said crossing his arms, “that’s going to depend on what it is.” “Chief, perhaps, we ought to reconsider this,” one of the men spoke up. “Hold on a minute,” Grey replied quickly. “I want to hear what he has to say.” '''Rhenco: '“So your son kept my little secret? I wondered…” Rhenco ruefully motioned to himself. “Huh…not that it matters now. I was attacked by a little girl with a sword of flame.” He rolled his neck. “Oh the things I want to do and say about her…but that’ll go against what I’m doing here now. Here is the basics of my proposition.” “I want to surrender my resources and services to the Rebellion.” '''Grey Bergman: '''Grey and Brandt looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes when Rhenco mused that Sven kept his secret. He didn’t know that Sven spoke up, which was good. The more he was in the dark about that, the better. They also briefly noted the mention of a young girl with her…sword of flame. There were two young girls who came to mind, but there was no time to think about that. “Excuse me?” Grey asked, not at all expecting that kind of a proposition. '''Rhenco: '''Rhenco hissed through his teeth as his chest spasimed. “I was initially pleased…finding out what Milae was. I cost the lives of every other me he visited, but it was worth it. However…it wasnt all good news. I know now…if I try to fight him and, by extension, you…I’ll die…for good. So…Malak and his family are extremely capable resources…you can have them. Use them against Central.” '''Grey Bergman: ''“Probably should’ve thought of that before you took my son,”'' Grey thought to herself. However, she was somewhat intrigued by Rhenco’s proposition, and she could feel everyone’s eyes on her…the Chief. Clearly, they were expecting her to say something, but what could she possibly say? “And just why should I trust you?” Grey asked glaring at the man. “How do I know that this isn’t some trick to infiltrate the Rebellion? After you broke into our home, held a knife to our son’s throat, kidnapped him, terrified our daughters, and threatened our family, you really expect me to just welcome your lackies with open arms?!” In the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but be reminded of a similar crossroads from the Rebellion…25 years ago…when Greg pretty much convinced them to become friends with Nala…the Warden. She remembered the night she accidentally let it slip…when King Haddock almost drew his sword on them. She thought she understood why he reacted the way he did, but now…25 years later…she really did understand. This Rebellion…the village…her family…they were all her responsibility. Sure Lila, Jari, and Kettil were helping with the Rebellion, but she was their aunt and their Chief. They all were hers to protect, and if she failed to do just that… Rhenco: '“Because…” Rhenco said almost paitently. “I do not want to die permanently. A thousand years of avoiding such a fate, I would not risk it. I have nothing personally invested against your Rebellion. I just happened to pick you as a target I fancied at the time.” He tilted his head, his skin crunching like burnt tree bark. “And besides…” He added as he set a red vial on the table between them. “Neither of us have much of a choice.” “I cant fight Milae without dying. But if you fight against me I’ll screw this golden strand up so badly that goat will have to jump straight to plan B. Now we could call it a day and never speak again…he glanced back at the hotel…but I get the feeling that goes against how your Rebellion operates. The only sensible option we have is you take my little family experiment for your use…and I get locked up until this all blows over.” '''Deoiridh: '“Will ye excuse us fer a moment creepy mcnightmare?” Deoiridh said as she grabbed Grey’s hand and pulled her back towards the dragons. “I dunno aboot this dear. From what I ‘eard the bastard’s tricksy. I’m not sure we can even ‘old ‘im, and that alone is enough reason not to make this deal.” 'Ander: '''Ander stepped forward to join Deoiridh and Grey, fighting back a chuckle at Deoiridh’s new name for Rhenco. “If I may, Chief, and not to disagree with you, Deoiridh, but I don’t have a great feeling about whatever’s in that vial. If it’s going to mess up this timeline as bad as he’s made it sound, I think agreeing with him might be our best bet. I don’t like him, and I don’t trust him either, but I also don’t want to know what’s in that vial. We’ve already been through loosing Sven, for just a brief period of time, but it wasn’t great. And I’d like to prevent anyone from loosing their loved ones again. I say we take this Malak and his family.” Ander took a deep breath. “But you are the chief, and I wholeheartedly trust you. I trust you will make the decision that you believe is best.” '''Grey Bergman: 'Grey bit her lip mulling over what Deoiridh and Ander just said. The memory of Haddock becoming angry at the Boomerang Squad for befriending the Warden when she was their enemy at the time was still fresh in her mind. She was supposed to protect her family, the Rebellion, and the village. What could she decide? Another memory flashed in her mind… “But here’s the thing…it’s okay to be a little nervous about it. It means you care enough to do a good job. It means you’ll think carefully about your decisions before you take them. And that’s a sign of a good leader." '' ''“What if…What if I do make bad decisions despite how carefully I think about them? What if I…I don’t know…cause a war or something and put this whole village in danger? A chief must protect her own, but….what if I fail and don’t live up to everyone’s expectations?" '' ''“You’re human. You shall make mistakes, no mind how sage you try to be in your decisions. Sometimes your decisions will be wrong. Sometimes they can be costly." '' Grey sighed as the memory faded into the back of her mind. Then she looked to her husband silently pleading with him to help her. Brandt simply smiled at his wife. “It’s your call, my dear Chief,” he said. “Whatever it is, I will support you.” Grey nodded and continued to think about Deoiridh and Ander’s reasonings. The she looked back at Rhenco and the vial on his table before turning back to look at her family. “I appreciate what you both said,” Grey replied. “I hate Rhenco as much as the next person, but we can’t afford to have him run free if we don’t take his proposition.” Part 2 '''Yun Milae: '“Chief Grey.” It was like Milae had been standing there all along. Nobody had noticed a significant appearance or sound, besides perhaps the now-familiar dizziness to those who had encountered him before. He was carrying his lantern in one hoof, in the other was his staff weapon, and he had a much larger bag on his hip than usual, bulging like it was stuffed with rocks. “If I may. One moment.” He pulled his hood down low over his eyes and began to step forward, past the group of arguing rebels, slowly, silently approaching Rhenco’s table. 'Rhenco: '''Rhenco’s scorched eye sockets twitched at his approach. “So you did come…” He tilted his head up to look at him, and then at the lantern. “Hm…Look into the future goat…you’ll see. You’ll see that stained ice and snow…you’ll see the demon. You’ll see my life fade away should I oppose you.” He raised a finger. “But you’ll also see this…thread…ruined too. But if we can agree on something…what do you see then?” '''Yun Milae: '''His ears twitched briefly under his hood. He frankly had no idea what Rhenco was talking about, but he wasn’t about to give that away anytime soon. ''A future where he is killed by a demon? So it does happen… “I see many things,” he said calmly. “I see futures of death. I see futures of prosperity. I see success. I see failure.” His eyes blinked, his pupils quite horizontal and thin, even for a goat. “There is little I would agree to, with you. I have a feeling you know this. But I am not above reason.” His gaze lingered on the Red Card. “What do you want?” he asked simply. 'Rhenco: '“Put me in a cell…safe from any hot blooded being. No fire, no heat…” Rhenco inhaled with a shudder. “I’ll eat, drink, and wont kill myself. Which will enable my imprisonment. Next…take Malak and his family. Imprison them, use them, kill them, it doesn’t matter. In return…” His finger touched the vial. “I wont use this…''any'' of it…no matter where it may be. Unless of course…you want to use it against Central. Which will surely expedite your goals.” 'Grey Bergman: '''Grey eyed the exchange between Milae and Rhenco suspiciously. There was still something inside of her screaming that this was probably a trick on Rhenco’s part. He was telling them how to imprison him while promising to not use that red vial and handing over one of his cronies and his family. She had a feeling that Sven might know what the vial was. However, it was certainly better than the alternative of letting him go free and risking him coming after Sven again or even worse…Dagny, Kari, or any of the other children of the Rebellion. She took a deep breath knowing that there was a chance this could lead to disastrous results, but she had to go with her gut, something that she had learned from both her predecessor, her father, and her King. “Very well,” she finally said stepping closer to Milae and Rhenco. “We will have to find the suitable prison, but I will take Malak and his family and find a place for them.” ''“Far…far away from my kids,” she thought to herself. “In the meantime, I ask that you give that vial to me,” she said coolly staring down Rhenco. “I’m unaware of what’s inside, but it’s clear you can’t be trusted.” She held her hand out to Rhenco. 'Deoiridh: '''Deoiridh crossed her arms as she watched the conversation go down, her eyes continuously flitting between Rhenco and the red vial. Suddenly she grinned as she got an idea. '''Ander: '''Ander watched Grey approach Rhenco, her hand held out for the mysterious vial. His heart skipped a beat. He didn’t trust the man. Rhenco could throw the vial to the ground, shattering it, and destroying them all. But he trusted Grey. Her calm, reasonable demeanor around the man who had kidnapped her son was admirable. He didn’t think he’d be able to hold himself together that well. Ander noticed a grin spread across Deoiridh’s face. “What?” he asked her softly. '''Deoiridh: '''She grinned a bit wider, despite attempting to supress it. “Don’t worry bout it.” She says. '''Rhenco: '''Rhenco held up the vial, and then gently placed it in Grey’s hand. “This card…is my favorite.” He confessed. “If you ever want to learn how to use it…just ask.” He then held up his wrist as if to wait for them to be bound. “Do we have an agreement? No contracts, no bindings, just the word between honest men?” '''Yun Milae: '''Milae gently put a hoof between Grey and Rhenco and stepped between them. He regarded the old man, slowly reaching out his own hoof, as though asking for a handshake. “Do you swear not to attempt escape by death or by breaking free, so long as we do not torture yo'u with flame?” His eyes glinted. Rhenco: '“How…sadistic…” Rhenco crooned. “You are more than welcome to torture me any other way dear boy…save for one other…the mind.” He tapped his temple. “No mental infiltration either…just leave it be. Deal?” '''Grey Bergman: '''The Chief raised an eyebrow at Rhenco and then looked at Milae as she played with the vial in her hand. It didn’t look like much, but there was a small part of her that wanted to know what this vial was. She considered leaving it, and asking Sven once they returned, but she knew it was the same vial he used to threaten Sven. “Before I agree to any deal with you,” Grey began, “I’m probably going to regret asking this, but that’s never stopped me before. What is in this vial? You used this to threaten Sven.” '''Rhenco: '“I could use that to threaten everyone…” Rhenco said mildly. “It’s called Red Card. It’s a substance that I crafted ever so perfectly to infect someone like a sickness.” He folded his charred fingers. “Have you ever wondered what it would be like if a High Central mage suddenly found themselves fancying half breeds? What it would be like to carve out your lovers wrists and feel oh so good while doing it? To prey on your children? For an avid hunter to suddenly live among the animals they once stalked? That…is what Red Card does…and it has, no, cure.” 'Yun Milae: '“Rhenco.” Milae spoke softly at the end of his explanation. His eyes hadn’t moved from his charred, destroyed face, and his hoof was still extended. “I’m still waiting for your word.” 'Rhenco: '“Uphold my protection against mental infiltration and fire…and you have my word. No escapes…no tricks…lest I die a permanent death.” Rhenco held out his hand. “You have my word.” '''Yun Milae: “It shall be so.” Milae’s hand shot out like a snake and grabbed Rhenco’s cracked, disfigured hand, and as soon as they made contact, a scarlet light blazed between them, and a searing circle burned itself into the back of Rhenco’s hand. The light illuminated Milae’s face clearly; his pupils were razor-thin horizontal slits, and an uncharacteristic grin cracked across his face. His hand was a vice grip in Rhenco’s, and stayed that way until the contract was complete. “Thank you, Rhenco.” Milae’s words released in an exhilarated rush. “Never again shall you harm the Rebellion, so long as I live. And that will be a very…very long time.” He chuckled darkly. Rhenco: '''“Demon…” Rhenco risked a grin, although it was hard to tell due to his face. “You do like your loopholes.” He gripped the hoof tighter and leaned in menacingly. “Funny how that backfired the first time.” He chuckled. “Ever filling in a post hole with a mountains worth of soil aren’t we? I have never lied. I never do. I would have honored this deal under pain of death, as a human can. But with a demon contract, loopholes are inevitable.” Rhenco tilted his head easily, and then let go. “Oh well…I wasn’t going to break that trust anyway…” '''Grey Bergman: ''“Demon?”'' Grey thought to herself. “Could it be…? Wait…she was back on Haligan Island, wasn’t she?” They had yet to see each other at the village, but why possess Milae? That thought was immediately pushed aside after the scene just unfolded in front of her. Rhenco was officially bounded to a demon by contract, which protected them…the Rebellion for a very long time. She couldn’t help but smirk at the scene, but then her mind wandered back to the vial in her hand remembering what Rhenco just said about it. She knew without a doubt, this Red Card needed to be secure and protected at all costs. She would have to deal with that once she returned to her island with her family. Rhenco: 'The knife slid into Rhenco’s neck smoothly and he collapsed onto the table. His burnt body smoldered for a second with new heat, before it froze over. A moment later, a fully healed Rhenco pushed himself out of a ashen form. He sighed. “Right then…lock me where you will.” Part 3 '''Yun Milae: '''Milae stepped backwards, seeming to be in control of himself once more. He glanced over at Grey. “Chief Grey, please use utmost caution, whatever you do,” he whispered. '''Deoiridh: '''Deoiridh stepped over to Milae and tapped him on his shoulder. “‘Scuse meh, I think you’ve got me friend up there. Ah can take ‘er back to the island if she’s headin’ back that way. It’s been a while and we really didnae get to talk much last time ah saw her.” '''Yun Milae: '“Deoiridh, I’m afraid that’s not a good '''id–” He gulped and seemed to strain with himself, the pupils of his eyes growing incredibly thin before dilating again. He caught his breath. “That is not…the best idea right now.” Deoiridh: 'Deoiridh’s eyes squinted a bit at this. “Now why the ‘el’s that, goat boy?” She asked, he hand resting near the quiver of arrows she had at her side. '''Yun Milae: '“I don’t have time to explain,” he said quickly, in a low voice, “so you need to trust me when I say that the Warden is staying right here.” His body gave another involuntary shudder. The light from his lantern jittered with the movement. 'Deoiridh: '''Deoiridh frowns and spins away from Milae, pulling her bow up over her head and grabbing a handful of arrows, nocking one and aiming for his head. “Ye better damn well make time.” She growls '''Ander: '''Ander rushed over and put his body directly in front of Milae, hands up with palms towards the girl. “Deoiridh, please. I do not think this is the best idea. Milae and Nala are both responsible for allowing us to lock Rhenco up for good. Milae helped Grey through everything involving Sven and Nala is your friend. It is not in anyone’s best interest to harm them.” '''Grey Bergman: '“Ander’s right, Deoiridh,” the Chief said firmly keeping her gaze on Rhenco. Trying not to hide the realization that she and Brandt indirectly received the answer to their question regarding to how Rhenco was healed after Sven hit him with the lantern. “This is not the time to be dealing with…our friend. We have more important matters at the moment.” “You want me to do the honors, my dear Chief?” Brandt asked his wife. “Oh yes, please,” Grey said smirking at her husband. “Men,” Brandt said looking toward his comrades, “arrest him! We will bring him back to Haligan Island.” The two Haligan soldiers ran over past their Chief and her husband immediately grabbing Rhenco by the arms handcuffing him in metal shackles around his wrists and legs. “I feel you should know, Rhenco,” Grey said as she took a step closer, “kidnapping an heir of the Chief…is a serious crime. Usually, it’s punishable by death or banishment. However, in your case,” she brought her fist back…and made contact with Rhenco’s face… 'Rhenco: '''Rhenco’s long nose was devastated on impact and his head snapped back in response to the strike. His head lulled back down as blood poured from his nostrils. His expression was once again empty as he looked back up at her. “Ow…” He said around red stained lips, as the guards took him away, and then added as a quick note. “The family will check in by weeks end at the latest.” '''Yun Milae: '''Milae jerked his head to the side oddly, and he seemed to be breathing heavily. He lowered the lamplight away from his face, but one could notice his pupils dilating, shrinking, uneven, over and over. “'Get that away from me,” he growled to Deoiridh, eyeing her arrowhead as he shivered in place. Deoiridh: 'She slowly lowered the bow. “Nala? Nala is that you? It’s me, Greg remember?” She didn’t know how she could forget but figured she might as well give her an out. '''Yun Milae: '''In a blur, Milae dropped the lantern to the ground with a crash and used his staff to sweep the legs out from under Deoiridh, pointing the butt of the staff at her chest. His teeth were bared in a snarl. '“Impostor! You are not Greg Ericson, he is DEAD!” Deoiridh: 'She grunted as she fell to the ground. She went to get up but was quickly pushed back into the dirt by the but of Milae’s staff. “It ''is me Nala. Hel let me reincarnate don’t you remember? Come in, you’ll see.” She gently tapped on her temple. '''Deoiridh: “Hel? Reincarnate!? What nonsense is this, you lying wench!? I’ll have you–” Milae choked and shuddered, trying to step away from Deoiridh but seeming to be unable to. “It’s…not…her!” he hissed with difficulty, his limbs trembling violently. “Stop it, Deoiridh!” 'Ander: '''Ander ran forward and tried to pull Deoiridh up and away from Milae and the demon, whoever the demon was, but Deoiridh was hard to move. Something was wrong here, but he didn’t know what. “Come on,” Ander mumbled. '''Grey Bergman: '''The Chief subtly rubbed the hand that she used to punch Rhenco to relieve the pain as she walked back to her husband. Despite the pain, she couldn’t help but smirk in satisfaction seeing Rhenco being dragged away with blood running down his face. “That felt good,” she said smirking at Brandt. “Just watching it felt good,” Brandt replied. “So, what do we do about this Malak fellow when he comes?” “I…still have to figure that out,” Grey said. “But I don’t want him near the kids or Rhenco. Something still feels off about this….just how easily he let us take him.” “Well, maybe–” Brandt began. However, they were quickly jolted out of their satisfaction in seeing the defeat of the man who kidnapped their son, and they turned to see the confrontation between Deoiridh, Milae, and Ander. “Hey, hey, what’s going on?” the Chief asked. '''Deoiridh: 'Deoiridh pushed Ander off of her as she stood up. “Dinnae lie to me goat boy, that’s her, there’s no other demon on this planet who cares about the Rebellion like she does.” Part 4 'Yun Milae: '''Milae bared his teeth and growled, the noise interlaid with a threatening rumble. It trailed off into a gasping breath, and he took a few steps away, bowing his head. “Chief Grey. My forgiveness. I swear I have her under control.” He glared at Deoiridh. “I will explain when we are not in a compromised position any longer.” '''Grey Bergman: '“Okay, very well then,” Grey said nodding at the goat. “We will talk privately as soon as we all get back to the island.” Brandt looked over at Deoiridh and Ander. “Are you two okay?” he whispered to them. 'Deoiridh: '''She frowned. “Ah don’t trust that goat.” She said huffing and walking over to the burnt out remains of the hotel. '''Ander: '''Ander watched Deoiridh. He turned to Brandt. “Yes, I’m fine. It’s her I worry about. She’s impulsive and sometimes that’s a little scary. I don’t think getting on Milae’s bad side, no matter his intentions, is a good idea. We don’t know the full extent of what he can do.” '''Yun Milae: '“Let us be on our way, please.” He felt like the demon was going to burst through his skin at any moment. He stiffly bent over to pick up his lantern, keeping an eye on Rhenco the entire time. 'Grey Bergman: '''Grey nodded and began to walk toward Shadow while Brandt stayed behind with Ander and Deoiridh. “I agree,” Brandt replied to Ander. “After what Grey told me about their conversation in the plaza, the best thing we can do is stay on his good side. As for her,” he turned to Deoiridh, “we’ll just have to keep an eye on her. Between you and me, I don’t remember Greg being this impulsive. I mean…he was never afraid to disagree with Grey, but still…” '''Deoiridh: 'Deoiridh sighed as she looked at the dragons disappearing into the horizon. Then she looked down at the table where Rhenco sat. With a wave of her hand the illusion dispelled and the red card reappeared. She took it between her thumb and index finger before grasping it and putting it in her satchel, and climbing aboard Barry Manilow and following after them.